What To Do With No OWL This Weekend

Despite the Overwatch League cancelling all Homestands in March and April, there is a silver lining. A recent announcement from Blizzard informed fans that the season will continue with matches played online rather than in-person. They also included that games will resume the weekend of March 21, but the match schedule is not set yet. They are working on dividing the teams into three regional groups for matches these months, likely to minimize ping issues. But the question arises – what do fans do this weekend? Here are a handful of other ideas to pass the time until the 21st.

Watch Contenders Matches

With no OWL, fans should turn their eyes towards Tier 2 Overwatch and support the next wave of players looking for a future with the league. This is a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with these players before they make that next step, as well as perhaps finding a new team to be a fan of. Season One of North American and European Contenders came to a close on Friday, so VODs are available here for replays of those finals.

Additionally, Australian Contenders will have a multitude of games this weekend, but they may be late at night depending on time-zone differences for the viewers. They are playing their Round of 12 and their Quarter-Finals. These should be live-streamed on the official Contenders YouTube channel, between 2:00-6:00 A.M. EST on Sunday morning.

Tune In To Open Division

Even though sometimes there is a lack of information regarding Open Division and matches, they are definitely worth watching. This is where some of the truest passion for the game lives, with players from around the world pouring their love in and hoping for that chance to shine. The Contenders Community fan-run Twitter account is often the best source to find streams of these matches as well as schedules and results.

In Europe, Sauna Esports will take on MBMC at 8:00 A.M. EST, followed by a match between Roar Esports – Tora and Simp Squad at 9:30 A.M. EST. Though these are much earlier in the day than any of the OWL matches have been thus far, they may just be able to quell that itch for competitive Overwatch. These matches will be streamed by Reflash Production here.

Play the Game Yourself

With the annual Archives event starting this week, there are a load of new skins to unlock and variations on game modes to play. Symmetra’s Holi skin is only available through this first week, and can be unlocked through winning nine games of arcade, quickplay, or competitive. If these nine wins come through arcade games, that will also net the weekly three free loot boxes to hopefully get some of this new content.

Beyond just the event, the game is in its second week of hero pools. Reinhardt, Reaper, Moira and Ana are out of the competitive rotation this week, so jump into a competitive game and see how these changes affect your own games. It may be frustrating in some games, but others it can provide a breath of fresh air as team compositions are forced to change for the week. Might as well try it out as you wait for more matches to watch.

Stay Safe

As COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to spread, more and more events are getting cancelled which includes OWL and CDL matches. The NBA, NHL and MLB have all announced cancellations while the NCAA has nixed its annual men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Many universities and schools are moving to online courses, and likewise many workplaces are turning to telecommuting for the sake of self-quarantine and social isolation.

Make sure to wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face and mouth as much as possible. And while you may not be impacted by it, make sure to do your part in minimizing risk for those most vulnerable (the elderly and immunocompromised) by promoting sanitation and lessening activities that spread germs. Take care of yourselves and each other and stay safe.

Stay Connected

Featured image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

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